Package-shifting mechanism.



G. & R. C. SCHOCK.

PACKAGE SHIFTING MECHANISM.

AP"L|CATION FILED AUG.6. I9l3.

.Patent-ed Aug. 31, 1915.

2 SHEETSQSHEET l.

" ullllllllili "FJIIIIIIIIII G. & R. C. SCHOCK.

PACKAGE SHIFTING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.6.I9I3.

Patented Aug 2 S HEETS INVENTOR 1 M m WlTNESSESi .mrnn srarss GUSTAV SCHOCK AND ROBERT C. SCHOCK, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PACKAGE-SHIFTING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 3t, 1915.

Application filed August 6, 1913. Serial No. 783,362.

To all whom it may concern ROBERT C. SCIIOCK, both citizens of the United States, residing in the borough of Manhattan, city, county, and State of New York, have ointly invented certain new and useful Improvements in Package-Shifting Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to mechanism for shifting packages, for instance in connection with package washing machines, and in the form illustrated is particularly useful at the spraying and delivery portions ofsuch machines.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an end eleva tion partly in section of a package washing machine embodying the present improveinent. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the righthand side of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1, and is taken on a plane at about the line 66, Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a top view of the mechanism illustratedin Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a cross-section taken at about the plane of the line 88, Fig. 3; and Fig. 5 is a section taken at about the plane of the line 99, Fig. 3.

The packages, 1, 1, destined to be received and shifted by this handling or translating mechanism, are delivered at the receiving station A and forwarded through the various portions of the washing machine. the illustration the elevator B places them in the soaking tank 0, and the elevator D forwards them from the soaking tank to the scrubbing station E. The elevator F, passes them to the bung hole finder and centering device Gr.

The illustrated mechanism being peculiarly designed for washing and draining packages of the class to which casks, barrels and kegs belong, it is necessary at some point in the travel of a package to bring its bung hole into a position having definite relation to the spraying nozzles of the spraying device H. The centering mechanism is shown as comprising two pairs of rollers and 71 which receive the packages at regulated intervals and assist in centering these transversely of the machine and cooperate with the bung hole finder in positioning the bung hole, in the present instance directed downwardly.

The bung -liole finder proper herein illustrated comprises a pivoted pin 96 which normally falls by gravity into its position direction and again raised for for engagement. been centered the continued rotation thereof brings the bung hole into position where it will engage the pivoted pin 96. This pin then comes into an upright position and ainnr osiuca 7 After the package has,

halts the package with the bung hole di,

rected downwardly, in which position the package is maintained during the remainder of the cleaning process. Up to this point the work has been performed upon the outside of the package, namely, while it was in the soakmg tank G, the dirt and mud and whatever else may have contaminated the package bemg loosened up in a suitable bath, preferably water, at the scrubbing station E the outside of the package was scrubbed, and at the centering device G the package is brought into position for the interior flushing or spray- In the present illustration there are shown in the spraying devicejH two spraying statlons, preferably for the purpose of vusing at one station hot Water and at the other cold water. These stations respectively are shown comprising spraying nozzles 100 and 101. Each nozzle has about it a package supporting device 102 comprising a four-armed sp der for receiving the package and holding it 111 position during the spraying operation. The package is engaged and translated from the centering device Gr into the region of activity of the spraying nozzle 100, and then translated into the region of the spraying nozzle 101, and then translated into engagement of the draining and discharging station I.

The mechanism employed for shifting the packages from station to station, and which may be referred to asrthe lifter, is designated by the reference character K. The preferable movement'for packages inthe present device is one wherein the package is lifted vertically from the bung-hole finder, the

lifted package forwarded horizontally over 1 the first sprinkling head, lowered vertically and deposited upon such sprinkler head, the downward vertical movement of the lifting mechanism continuing until the package seats thereon clear the package, then the lifting device being retracted in a horizontal the packages. It is also desirable that the packages be lifted from the bung-hole finder and from the sprinkling heads in a line with the device which enters the bung-hole. In the best practice at'the present time, such sprinkling nozzles are disposed vertically. The

movement above described is in efiect a translation of the packages, and in the present showing the lifter is caused to move toward the receiving end of the machine, rise with the packages, assuming there is a pack- 'tion of the translating mechanism is concerned, may be regarded as the first station and each of the stationsreferred to in this portion of the description asconstituting a package support. Ihis framework in the present illustration is shown comprising two side members 103, each of which has a pair of internal racks 104. The racks illustrated are in the form of parallelograms, each rack having two'horizontal sides and two vertical sides. A pinion whose shaft is held from 1 movement other than rotation will, by traversing this rack, cause the carrier or frame to move in a closed path in a vertical plane, thereby efiecting motion in a horizontal direction and rectilinear vertical movements at the extremities of the horizontal movements. Each of these racks is engaged by a pinion 105. Y Y

There is disposed adjacent each rack 10 1 a guiding and supporting track 106 upon which travels a roller 107 mounted concentrically with the pinion 105 for taking the weight of the structure and the packages carried thereby, so that all the pinion is required to do is to drive the liftin and translating",

devices, the weight thereo in its longitudinal'traverse being borne by the rollers. The

l pinions and rollers for each end arefinounted upon the shaft 108,- which has fast with it a worm-wheel 109 meshing with a wormll0. Both; of the-worms 110 are fast upon a shaft 111 which carriesfa'. miter gear 112 meshing with a miter gear 113 carried by the shaft 114, which shaft is drivenby means of gears 115,27, from the main drivin'g shaft 16 of the machine. The worm-wheel 109 and worm 110 of each end are shown mounted in 'a lubricant box 117. These parts have rather a'heavy duty to perform, and are in this mannerv kept continuously lubricated, and

the journals which carry the rollers for supporting the framework are kept from overheating; v

The mechanism for engaging and controlling the movement of the packages from the scrubbing station to the centering device comprises a pair of arms 7 0 carried by the moves backwardly and upwardly for the purpose of taking a package from the centering device, the rolls 7 0 on the ends of the arms 70 are moved adjacent the working position at the scrubber, and as the shifting device between the scrubber and centerer raises the package to let it move by gravity into the working position of the centerer, the arms 70are ready to engage the package and prevent it from running forward too rapidly. The movement of the forwarding device embodying the side frames 103 to which the arms 70 are attached toward the discharge end of the machine, carries the arms in advance of the package until it has arrived at its proper position upon the centering device platform. The. arms have normally but slight engagement with the package, but suflicient to prevent it acquiring undue momentum in its movement. Its speed is, thereby efiiciently controlled.

This part of the device is timed for moving the package after it has been properly centered the spraying devices are controlled in some suitable manner with the timed movement of this lifter, so that after the package has been centered it is introduced to the first spraying device, after it has been treated with the first spray a suflicient length of time the spray is shut 011", the package transferred to the second spraying device, and after it has been treated with this second spraying device a sufficient length of time the spray is shut off, and.- the package placed at the draining station I.

The draining station I comprises not only a draining station but a discharging device.

It is. shown. comprising a tilting turn-table 118 which receives the package and holds it for an appreciable length of time with the bung hole downward, permitting a certain amount of the spraying water to run out. This turn-table is connected by means of a bar 119 with the framework of the lifter K in such manner that .as the framework is moving downwardly and toward the receiving end of the machine the turn-table moves angularly about 90 degrees, which turns the package'into a position transversely to the position occupied by it while upon the spraying'stations, and as the turn-table is drawn into this position, a support 120 thereon passes off of its engaging'face 121 andper: mits the discharging end of the table to tilt into the Fig. 9 position, the package will be thereby permitted to roll off the table and onto some convenient chute.

.. The turntable 118 is shown mounted on a vertically disposed pivot 118, and upon a horizontally disposed pivot 118". Each of the arms 130, 131 of the turntable is provided with a downwardly directed support 120 for running upon the upper or engaging face of plate 121. Such plate is shown provided with notches 121 located in proper position to receive both of the supports 120 when the turntable is moved into the position at which it is intended it shall discharge. The upward movement of the frames-103 and their subsequent movement toward the right in Figs. 6 and 7 causes the receiving position, which is with the arms or skid members 130, 131- directed toward the right hand end of the machine, the package being received upon such turntable from the end opposite the arms or skid members. The end of the turntable opposite the arms is preferably heavily weighted, so as to assist in bringing the turntable into its normal position. This last mentioned arran gement, of moving the turn-table through a quarter turn, is merely assuming that it is desired to run the packages away from the machine transversely thereof. The packages may be discharged directly from the end of the machine in the general line of movement through the machine, or may be discharged from either side at any convenient angle. In the present drawing a delivery chute 122 is illustrated in position for receiving from the turn-table when this is moved transversely and permitted to tip.

Although but one practicable embodiment of the device is illustrated, yet it will be understood that the presentshowing is for the purpose of illustrating the invention, and that changes may be made within the scope of the claims Without departing from the spirit of the invention.

We claim as our invention 1. The combination with a seriesof package supports, of a device for shifting the packages from support to support, in a closed path by a series of horizontal and vertical movements, and comprising a framework disposed in a vertical plane, a rack in the framework, a pinion engaging said rack for moving the framework, and means for driving the pinion.

2. The combination with a series of package supports, of a device for shifting the package's 'fronifsupport to support, and comprising a framework, a rack carried by the framework disposed in the form'of a parallelogram, a pinion engaging the rack for moving the framework, and means for driving the pinion.

3. The combination with a series of package supports, of mechanism for shifting the packages from support to support, and comprising a framework, a rack carried by the framework in the form of a parallelogram, a

pinion engaging the rack, a roller track adjacent the rack and a roller located adj acent the pinion and running upon the said track for receiving the weight of the framework.

1. The combination with a series of package supports, of mechanism for shifting the packages from support to support, and comprising a framework disposed infla vertical plane, a rack carried by the framework in the form of a parallelogram, and having two horizontal sides and two vertical sides, a

pinion engaging the said rack, and means for driving the pinion.

5. The combination with a series of package supports, of mechanism fol-shifting the packages fromsupport to support, and comprising a framework, a rack in the form of a parallelogram carried by each end of the framework, a pinion engaging each of the said racks, means for driving the pinions, a bearing track located adjacent each rack, and a roll running upon each said track and mounted concentric with the adjacent pinion.

6. The combination with a series of package supports, of mechanism for shifting the packages from support to support, and comprising a pair of frames disposed side by side, a rack substantially in the form of a parallelogram disposed at each end of each said frame, a pinion running upon each said rack, the pinions at each end being mounted upon a common shaft, a bearing track located adjacent each rack, and a roll foreach said track, said rolls being mounted upon the pinion shafts.

7 The combination with a series of package supports, of mechanism for shifting the packages from support to support, and comprising a pair of frames disposed side by side, a rack substantially in the form of a parallelogram disposed at each end of each said frame, a pinion running upon each said rack, the pinions at each end being mounted upon a common shaft, a bearing track located adjacent each rack and outwardly thereof, and a roll for each said track, said rolls being mounted upon the pinion shafts.

8. The combination with a series of package supports, of mechanism for lifting the packages vertically from the supports, forwarding the lifted packages horizontally and lowering the same vertically and depositing the same each on a support in advance of that previously occupied by it, and

comprising a pair of frames disposed side by-side, a rack disposed at each end of each said frame, a pinion for running upon each said rack, the pinions at each end being mounted upon a common shaft, a bearing track located adjacent each rack and outwardly thereof, a roll for each said track, said rolls being mounted upon the pinion shafts, and means for driving the pinion shafts in unison.

9. The combination with'a series of package supports, of mechanism for shifting the packages from support to support, and comprising a pair of frames disposed side by side, a rack substantially in the form of a parallelogram disposed at each end ofeach said frame, a pinion runningupon each said rack, the pinions at each end being mounted upon a common shaft, 'a bearing track located adjacent each rack, a roll for each said track, said rolls being mounted upon the f pinion shafts, a worm wheel fast to each of said pinion shafts, and a worm shaft having a worm for each said worm wheel.

- 10. In package handling mechanism, the combination with two work stations and a package shifter between these, of an engaging device and mechanism for actuating the same located in position and timed to precede the package while being shifted from one station to the other and preventing the package acquiring momentum.

11. In package handling mechanism, the

position at the scrubber on the movement of the forwarding device. to raise a package from the centerer.

In witness whereof, we have hereunto signed our names in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GUSTAV SCHOCK. ROBERT C. SCHOOK.

Witnesses:

' JAooB L. JAEGER,

CHAS. LYON RUSSELL. 

